Quasi-simultaneous Radio/X-Ray Observations of the Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar 3FGL J1544.6-1125 during its Low-luminosity Accretion-disk State
Abstract
3FGL J1544.6-1125 is a candidate transitional millisecond pulsar (tMSP). Similar to the well-established tMSPs-PSR J1023+0038, IGR J18245-2452, and XSS J12270-4859-3FGL J1544.6-1125 shows γ-ray emission and discrete X-ray "low" and "high" modes during its low-luminosity accretion-disk state. Coordinated radio/X-ray observations of PSR J1023+0038 in its current low-luminosity accretion-disk state showed rapidly variable radio continuum emission-possibly originating from a compact, self-absorbed jet, the "propellering" of accretion material, and/or pulsar moding. 3FGL J1544.6-1125 is currently the only other (candidate) tMSP system in this state, and can be studied to see whether tMSPs are typically radio-loud compared to other neutron star binaries. In this work, we present a quasi-simultaneous Very Large Array and Swift radio/X-ray campaign on 3FGL J1544.6-1125. We detect 10 GHz radio emission varying in flux density from 47.7 ± 6.0 μJy down to ≲15 μJy (3σ upper limit) at four epochs spanning three weeks. At the brightest epoch, the radio luminosity is L 5 GHz = (2.17 ± 0.17) × 1027 erg s-1 for a quasi-simultaneous X-ray luminosity L 2-10 keV = (4.32 ± 0.23) × 1033 erg s-1 (for an assumed distance of 3.8 kpc). These luminosities are close to those of PSR J1023+0038, and the results strengthen the case that 3FGL J1544.6-1125 is a tMSP showing similar phenomenology to PSR J1023+0038.
- Publication:
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The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2110.10706
- Bibcode:
- 2021ApJ...923....3J
- Keywords:
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- 1062;
- 153;
- 1340;
- 14;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal